James mitchell



(No Model.)

J. MITCHELL. TRACE FASTENBR.

No. 576,600. Patent-ed Feb. 9,1897.'

n IN1/EMO@ A WJTWESSES Mae/@M4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MITCHELL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ROBERTJ`. WILLIS, OF SAME PLACE.

TRACE-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,600, dated February9, 1897.

Application filed August 14, 1895. Serial'No. 559,226. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace Fasteners; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in trace-fastenersfor whiflietrees; and it consists in the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in theclaim.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and eectualmeans forreadily attaching the trace to the whiftletree, in which the arrangementis such as to securely retain the trace in place and to enable it to beeasily detached when desired, which object is attained by theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figurelis a top plan of the end of a whiffletree provided with my improvedtrace-fastener. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the same,and Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the parts in the detachedposition.

Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the end of theWhiiietree, upon which is mounted a suitable ferrule B, having a pin aextending from the end thereof, which is adapted to engage the eye c inthe end of the trace D, as shown in Fig. 2. Mounted upon the upper faceof the ferrule-iron is a housing C, which is open at its opposite ends.Pivoted between the sides of said housing at its rear end is a catch b,the engaging end of which extends into said housing and is provided inits under face with a hook e, the free end of said catch extendingrearwardly and having a coiled spring d thereunder, which retains saidcatch in its normal position.

E designates the arm adapted to slide within the outer end of thehousing C and provided on its inner end with a hook i, which is adaptedto engage the hook of said catch when said arm is forced inward anddetachably holds the trace in position, as shown in Fig. 2. Attached tosaid arm and depending before the end of the whifiietree is a plate F,which is provided with a central aperture f, adapted to freely receivethe pin a. From said plate F the arm E curves upwardly and 6o outwardly,as at E', and carries upon its outer end a guard-plate G, which isoblong in form and extends parallel with the trace, by which'arrangement of parts an open space is formed between said plates for theentrance of the trace or tug.

The engaging arm E is adapted to slide longitudinally in the case C, butis limited in its movement therein by means of a screw 0, which passesdownward through the top of 7o said case and engages in a way o', formedin the upper face of said arm, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby saidarm is prevented from being withdrawn entirely from said housing, exceptwhen desired, at which time said screw 7 5 may be removed.

In the operation of this device the parts are drawn out to the positionshown in Fig. 3, when the trace D is placed rbetween the plates F and G,respectively, so that the eye thereof 8o registers with the pin a, whenthe arm E is forced inward until the inner face of the guard-plate Gstrikes against the outer end of the pin a, which operation causes saidpin to extend through the eye in said tug, in which position said partsare securely locked by the engagement of the spring-catch b with thehook on the inner end of said arm, as shown in Figs. l and 2, therebysecurely locking the trace to the pin of the singletree. 9o When it isdesired to detach or unhitch the trace, the outer end of the catch b isdepressed, thereby disengaging said catch from the arm E, when said armmaybe drawn outward, so as to bring the follower-plate F in line withthe outer end of the pin d, which plate engaging the trace carries itover the end of said pin and disengages it therefrom,

as shown in Fig. 3, in which position said parts remain until it isagain desired to atroo tach the trace to the singletree, when it isagain placed between said plates andthe arm E shoved inward, as beforedescribed, the plate Ginoving inward against the end of the pin a., inwhich position said parts are again looked by the spring-catch b, makinga simple and effective trace-fastening, which may be quickly operated toattach or detach the trace, as desired.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a trace-fastener, the combination with the whilietree-ferrule havingthe fixed pin extending from the end thereof, the oblong housing mountedupon said ferrule open at each end, the spring-actuated catch extendinginto said housing at one end, the longitudinally-movable arm adapted toslide within said housing from the opposite end and having a hook whichengages said Catch, said arm having a way in its upper face, theset-screw passing through y the housing and into said Way, the plate Fon the outer end of said arm adjacent to the end of the ferrule andhaving a central aperture that receives said pin, said arm curvingupward and outward from said plate and carrying the plate Gon theextreme outer end thereof which stands parallel with the plate F anddistant therefrom forming a space between said plates and below theCurve of said arm which freely receives the tug.

In testimony whereof I affx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MITCHELL. Titnessesz E. S. XVHEELER, HORACE R. WHEELER.

